Angika


Angika is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken in some parts of the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand, as well as in parts of Nepal.
Angika is closely related to neighbouring Indic languages such as Maithili, Bengali, Bhojpuri and Magahi. Historically it was written in a separate script known as 'Anga Lipi'. Later writers shifted to Kaithi Script and eventually to Devanagari Script. Angika has been declared as an additional official language of Jharkhand.

Controversy around relationship with Maithili

There is an ongoing debate over whether Angika is a dialect of Maithili or a distinct language. British linguist George Abraham Grierson classified Angika as a dialect of Maithili in his Linguistic Survey of India, a view that held historically. Rahul Sankrityayan classified Angika as a distinct dialect, separate from the Maithili spoken in Darbhanga and Madhubani. His works from the 1950s popularized the term "Angika" for what George Grierson had earlier classified as the "Chhika-Chhiki" southern dialect of Maithili in the Linguistic Survey of India. Based on this, the Angika proponents since the 1970s have asserted a separate linguistic identity from Maithili.
During the 1960-70 Maithili movement, which sought inclusion of Maithili in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and its use in primary education, Angika intellectuals supported Hindi-medium instruction instead. They began demanding recognition for Angika as a separate language.
Maithils view this as a tactic by the pro-Hindi Bihar Rashtrabhasha Parishad to undermine the Maithili movement. They argue that the Parishad promoted Maithili dialects like Angika and Bajjika as independent languages to sow divisions within Maithili speakers and society.

Official status

Angika is not listed in the 8th schedule of the constitution of India.
Angika has the status of "Second State language" in the Indian state of Jharkhand since 2018. It shares this status with 15 other languages, including Maithili.

Literature

had written the first ever novel in Angika titled Kisan Ke Jagab.

Vocabulary

Sample Vocabulary

; Everyday nouns
  • dokān: 'shop'
; Animals
  • kuttā: 'dog'
  • ṭikṭikiyā: 'lizard'
  • leru / leruyā: 'calf '
; Plants & crops
  • nemu: 'lemon'
  • cāur: 'paddy; unhusked rice'
  • ketārī / ketāṛī: 'sugarcane'
  • bāṅgā: 'cotton'
; Food items
  • manda / maṇra: 'maize bread'
; Pronouns & address
  • apne: formal/honorific 2nd-person 'you'
; Postpositions / case markers
  • -ra, -ker: genitive 'of'
  • -san: ablative 'from'
; Semantic notes
  • ḍābl : 'very big' in colloquial use.

    Sample sentences

  • हम जायचे। : 'I am going.'
  • हम गैली। : 'I went.'
  • हम जाइबो। : 'I will go.'

    Anga region

Angika is mainly spoken in south-eastern Bihar, including most of Munger, the whole of Bhagalpur division and some south eastern parts of Purnia division along with the Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand. Its speakers number around 15 million people. The region where Angika is spoken is popularly known as Anga, Ang Pradesh and Angika-Belt.
Apart from Bihar and Jharkhand states of India, it is also spoken in the Morang district of Nepalese Terai as a minority language. 1.9% people of Morang returned Angika as their mother tongue during the 2011 Nepal census.

Angika culture

Festival

Festivals are the core part cultural part of the community. Anga celebrates the festivals of all daith with great enthusiasm and zeal. However, Manasa Puja and Kali Puja are two examples of intangible cultural heritage of the region. Apart from these, Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Chhath Puja, Biswakarma Puja, Basanti Puja, Holi, Guru Poornima, Eid and Karma-Dharma puja too hold a great significance for the region.
  • Manasa Puja
Manasa Puja is the folk festival In Bihar's Ang region. It is the biggest festival of Anga. Champapuri the capital of Ang Pradesh is the main temple of Maa Vishari. Maa Manasa is regarded as Goddess of Serpants. Even today, the tradition of Manasa Puja, which has been going on since mythological times, continues. Mata Mansa is worshiped in Bihula-Vishhari. Maa Mansa is said to be the daughter of Shiva and the sister of Vasuki sitting as a garland around Mahadev's neck. Mythological beliefs of Bihula Vishhari story of Champanagar of Ang Pradesh are spread everywhere. Its facts are also found in the remains of Vikramshila even two historical murtis of Maa Manasa have been found from the ruins.
  • Kali Puja
Anga is famous for the way of its Kali Puja Celebration which is one of the most celebrated festivals of the whole region. Together with Manasa Puja, it is intangible cultural heritage festival of Anga.
  • Chhath Puja
As per Legends, Chhath Puja stems from the early Vedic period, where sages would fast for days and perform the puja with mantras from Rigveda. It is believed that Chhath Puja was also performed by Karna, the son of Lord Surya and the King of Anga. It is therefore celebrated in every region of Bihar with full enthusiasm and is termed as Mahaparv for Biharis.It is very popular festival in the Anga region
  • Karma-Dharma puja
Karma-dharma Puja is an important Indian festival, primarily celebrated in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and some other regions. This festival is grandly observed every year on the Ekadashi of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Bhadra. Karma Puja holds special significance in strengthening the bond of love and affection between brothers and sisters. On this day, people perform special prayers and rituals to strengthen family relationships. Karma and Dharma are the principal deities of this festival, and on this day, people express their devotion and faith towards them.

Angika cuisine

is predominantly consumed in the Anga region, and is characterised by the use of mustard oil, fish, and bamboo shoots. The famous Bihari Fish Curry, Sarse Baingan, are beloved Angika delicacies. Other Angika cuisines are Ghugni-Mudi, Thekua.

Manjusha Art

Manjusha Art is an Indian art form. They are temple-shaped boxes comprising eight pillars. They are made of bamboo, jute, and paper. They also contain paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses and other characters. These boxes are used in Bishahari puja, a festival dedicated to Goddess Bishari that is celebrated in Bhagalpur, Munger and entire Anga Region of Bihar, India.

Music and drama

Music and drama plays a crucial role in Ang Culture, although it is not so famous but is a daily part of lifestyle in Anga Region. There is also a Music Industry and film industry Angika Music Industry and Angika Film Industry which provides regional music and films based on good story-lines. Sharda Sinha, a famous folk singer of Bihar has covered more than 1500 songs in all Bihari languages including Angika. During The 2023 Shravani Mela visit in Sultanganj. Ang Mahotsav',' a cultural festival of Music and Drama is held every year in The Anga Region and is a good platform to promote Angika.

Angika literature

Anil Chandra Thakur, a renowned Angika poet from the Kosi region of Bihar, gained prominence in the 1990s, celebrated for his acclaimed work, '.
Kinship Terms
Angika has a rich set of kinship terms. Here are some common ones:
S. No.Kinship Term Pronunciation Meaning
1बाप / बाबा/baːp/ /baːbu/Father
2माई / मों/maːi/ /mõ/Mother
3दादा/daːdaː/Elder Brother
4भैया / भाय/bʱɛːjaː/ /ʧʰoʈkaː/Younger Brother
5दीदी/diːdiː/Elder Sister
6बहीन/ बहनी/bɛɦiniyaː/Younger Sister
7बाबा/ददा/baːbaː/Paternal Grandfather
8दादी/daːdiː/Paternal Grandmother
9नाना/naːnaː/Maternal Grandfather
10नानी/naːniː/Maternal Grandmother
11चाचा/ʧaːʧaː/Uncle
12काका/kaːkaː/Uncle
13काकी/ʧaːʧiː/Aunt
14मामा/maːmaː/Uncle
15मौसी/maʊsiː/Aunt
16मौसा/maʊsaː/Uncle
17ससुर/sʌsʊr/Father-in-law
18सास/saːs/Mother-in-law
19बेटा/beːʈaː/Son
20बेटी/beːʈiː/Daughter
21देओर/deːʋʌr/Brother-in-law
22साला/सारौ/saːlaː/Brother-in-law
23ननद/nʌnʌd/Sister-in-law
24साली'''/saːliː/Sister-in-law